Journey to the East
by Gryphinwyrm7
Summary: King Arthur and Griff ally with the Redemption Squad to seek the answers behind mysterious disappearances in China, but what they find, is more than they bargained for...
1. Isatsu

**Journey to the East**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, or its spinoff Gargoyles: Bad Guys. That honor belongs to Disney. Characters created by Greg Weisman and distributed by SLG._

**December 15, 1938, ****Shandong ****province, China**

The wind howled ferociously and hail the size of golf ball rained down on three young Japanese gargoyles. They struggled fruitlessly to try to stay aloft. Finally, the leader, a jade-skinned male with three wing-fingers and ribbing called back to the two females behind him.

"This storm is picking up," Kai shouted back in Japanese to his rookery sisters. "We must find shelter before the dawn, which cannot be far off."

The trio bobbed and weaved among the stone spires that surrounded them; there were small farms below, but the gargoyles could not see them in this gale. Rain and hail continued to beat down on them.

"Kai!" One of the females, a blue skinned beauty with vaguely aquatic features, called back to him. "Look! There is a cave!"

Kai nodded to her, one simple nod to indicate that he had heard her. He then made a sweeping gesture with his arm and indicated that they should follow him. The three gargoyles landed at the mouth of the cave, which was fairly high up—atop one of the spires.

Kai cloaked his wings and glanced at his sisters. Umi, his blue sister, always carried herself well when she was wet…it seemed natural on her…probably due to her appearance.

She had webbed ears, as well as webbed talons. Her tail had two fins on the end of it, causing her to look for all the world like she belonged in the water. Her wings were the "blade" style, common in Ishimura. No wing fingers and no ribbing.

Sakura, his other sister did not carry herself with the grace and poise when sodden that Umi did. She had pure white skin, two wing fingers, but no ribbing on the membranes. She wore a sharp red hakama, in sharp contrast to her light skin. Her talons were two-toed, as opposed to the three-toed talons of Kai and Umi.

Sakura slowly began to explore deeper into the cave. Kai and Umi remained near the mouth, watching the storm.

"I can well imagine that a clan of tengu might take up refuge in these spires," Umi said casually. "Humans would have a difficult time scaling these granite towers. They might be left alone for some time."

"I think I see a light deeper in the cave." Sakura called back to her brother and sister.

"Do not stray far, sister," Kai warned. "I feel that dawn has almost arrived."

"Kai, I'm certain I see a light…how could there be a light this far up? Unless maybe it's the tengu clan!"

"If the rumors are to be believed," Kai said. "Then they should still be a good 100 miles from here."

"Kai, there's a staircase back here!" Sakura called back.

Kai and Umi exchanged a glance in surprise and immediately moved to join their sister. They did not get more than a few feet however, when the dawn caught them. Though it was still dark and stormy outside, the sun had risen, and the Japanese gargoyles were frozen in stone.

_That Night…_

"There is no staircase," Kai said worriedly. "We've clawed almost three feet into a solid wall."

"Then where could our sister have gone?" Umi replied looking at Kai with panic painted across her face. "If there is no light…and no stairway…where could she have gone? It's as though she has vanished into thin air."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**March 2, 1997, Paris, France **

"To be quite honest your majesty," Griff said as they landed in front of the Louvre. "I'm not quite sure what this little trip is going to accomplish. I fear that it's only going to tear open old wounds."

"Perhaps Sir Griff," Arthur said as the gargoyle set him on the ground. "But I feel I need some closure…she was my wife…even if…"

"I understand," Griff said forlornly. "Perhaps better than anyone else."

Arthur nodded. He knew his gargoyle friend was speaking of Una, his once beloved. Had Goliath not skipped Griff from 1940 to 1996, they would have become mates. But she had mated with Leo…Griff's closest friend.

"I'll be here, and you?" Arthur said changing the subject.

"I think shall spend the day at Notre Dame," Griff said smiling. "It seems almost wrong for a gargoyle to spend the day in Paris, and not sleep atop Notre Dame."

"Then I shall see you at sunset my friend." Arthur nodded. Griff began scaling a nearby monument, preparing to take to the sky again.

A small sheet of paper fluttered in the wind and landed next to Arthur's foot. He bent down and picked it up. In three languages it advertised the latest exhibit at the Louvre.

_The Diary of Queen Guinevere._

It had been discovered in a hidden antechamber at a monastery in Normandy. Considering the discovery of the Scrolls of Merlin just a few years earlier, this had caused quite a stir in both the archeological and historical communities. Many historians were rethinking their ideas on the rein of the "mythical" King Arthur.

Upon the announcement of the discovery, Arthur had known that he needed to see this diary himself. After 15 centuries, and her infidelity…he still loved her.

"Museum opens at eleven," Arthur read aloud and scowled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Una always wanted to come here,_ Griff thought, contemplatively looking at the Seine. He casually flexed his wings. _I wish things had turned out differently. It's strange how fate works…sometimes heartache is inevitable, I guess. Still, wouldn't trade my service to King Arthur for anything._

Except Old Pog; the London Clan was not the clan he had hatched in. Fifty-six years was a long time. And though the clan had welcomed him home with open arms, he still felt lonely.

Staghart and Constance had made the greatest effort to befriend the gryphon-gargoyle, and he was grateful for them. And Leo and Una were the same as always…except they were 56 years older and mates. He was grateful that King Arthur had broken into Westminster Abbey that night. Serving at the King's side, he no longer felt like the odd gargoyle out.

"And here I thought _I_ was the last tengu in Paris," a voice behind him said, breaking Griff from his contemplation. He spun around in surprise to see a grey-colored gargoyle standing behind him.

"Bloody hell," Griff breathed. "I'm afraid you've caught me by surprise as well mate, didn't know there were any gargoyles around here…I'm called Griff."

Griff held out his hand. The grey colored gargoyle took Griff's talon in the clasp of the warrior's handshake.

"I am Yama," he said. "The mountain. And by your accent, I would deduce that you are a native to the British Isles."

"Right you are, my clan's based in London, and unless I'm off my mark," Griff said grinning and stepping back. "You're one of those Jap gargs. From Ishimura if I recall correctly."

Yama looked taken aback. "How could you know of my clan?"

"Well," Griff flushed sheepishly. "We had four members of Goliath's clan stay with us for a few months, they told us about your clan."

"Ah," Yama said nodding. "Of course…Goliath did not mention your clan when he stayed with us, but I'm afraid that further conversation must wait for sunset."

Yama pointed toward the eastern horizon. Griff nodded and the two gargoyles leapt upon the parapets, posing fiercely as the dawn's light froze them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is not Guinevere's diary," King Arthur said disappointedly looking at the small book underneath the glass case.

"Really," a young blond woman standing next to him said. She had a distinct Scottish accent. "And how can you be sure of that?"

"It's not her handwriting," Arthur commented sadly. The blond woman cocked her eyebrow at the man curiously, but Arthur simply ignored her look and slowly made his way towards the exit of the museum.

As Arthur shuffled his way towards the doors, his warrior's instinct kicked in. He was being watched, he was certain of it.

The ancient monarch had grown quite fond of wearing a duster to cover his sword and armor. He instinctively reached into his duster and clasped Excalibur. He did not draw the blade, nor did he do anything to draw attention to himself. He slowly began scanning the hall around him.

There was a small crowd of Japanese tourists taking pictures of the Mona Lisa. He noted that the Scottish woman was observing the movements of everyone in the room. Not as though she was in any immediate danger, but as a warrior does, knowing that danger might strike at any moment. She was not the presence who had triggered Arthur's intuition.

He slowly slipped out of the room holding the Mona Lisa and the fake diary of Guinevere. That's when he caught sight of a tall woman with silvery-blond hair watching him from a distance.

He froze; there was something very familiar about her face…something that he couldn't quite place. Then, in a moment, she was gone. He moved quickly to the room she had entered. He looked it over carefully. Whoever she was, she was gone now. He no longer felt the presence of an observer, but the incident left him feeling very unsettled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Shortly after Sunset…_

"It was bloody lovely to have met you Yama," Griff said grinning. "And I'd love to chat some more, but I'm afraid I've arranged to meet someone."

"I too have a prior engagement," Yama said bowing. "I am glad I met you Griff-san. I had not realized how much I had missed the company of another gargoyle. I hope that we meet again soon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So after all that," Griff said scowling. "The diary was a bloody forgery?"

"Not entirely," Arthur replied looking at the glass pyramid that stood in front of the Louvre. "It was the diary of a woman name Guinevere. It just wasn't _my_ Guinevere. According to what I read, she had run away from her father's house to avoid an arranged marriage to a nobleman. The historians seemed to think that this meant that she was my Gwen…and that _I _was the nobleman from whom she fled; at least…that's what the plaque said."

"Bah," Griff said shaking his head. "Historians never get that rot right…you should see some of the things that I've read about the 1930s and 40s. Utter rubbish."

"Still," Arthur said. "It is unsettling. Guinevere and I did love one another…once."

Griff smiled and placed his talon on Arthur's shoulder, comforting him. That's when he noticed movement atop the nearby Louvre.

"What ho? Your Majesty," Griff said pointing. "Do you see that?"

Arthur nodded and drew his sword. "There was someone watching me in the museum today, but when I went to investigate…she was gone."

"She?" Griff inquired.

"Yes," Arthur said. "It was definitely a she."

The warriors rushed to the nearby wall. Arthur sheathed Excalibur and wrapped his arms around Griff's neck as the gargoyle began scaling the wall—the Once and Future King on his back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It looks as though we have some thieves," Arthur said bending down and looking at the perfect seven foot diameter circle that was the hole in the roof of the Louvre.

"Looks like they used a blowtorch," Griff said. "But how did they do that without setting off the alarms?"

"I do not know," Arthur said grimly. "But our duty is clear, is it not Sir Griff?"

"Oh certainly," Griff said smiling. "We're going to stop the buggers."

Arthur drew Excalibur once more and jumped into the hole. Griff cloaked his wings and leapt in after him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Will you be much longer, Cliff?" Don Raymond snarled.

"Do you want this done fast or done right?" Cliff replied to his boss. Don Raymond was a tall, imposing man, with long dark hair, and an eye-patch over his left eye. He had a permanent scowl carved onto his face.

Cliff Jackson looked like he was once the nerdy type, with his sandy hair and thick glasses, but he had put on some muscle lately.

"I don't want to linger here any longer than we must. The longer we wait, the higher our odds of getting caught," Don replied.

"Got it," Cliff said pulling tablet loose.

"What is this thing anyway?" Don said, scowling more than ever.

"I dunno," Cliff replied. "Some ancient Egyptian thing…some rich American woman wanted us to lift it. Supposedly there's a spell that raises the dead inscribed on it."

"I do not believe that that belongs to you." Arthur said stepping into the room.

"So you'd better put it back," Griff said entering the room from the other side. The gargoyle's eyes glowing.

Don cocked his good eye at Griff, but other than that he had no reaction.

"What the hell?" Cliff said, nearly dropping the Egyptian tablet. "Is that a damn griffin?"

"Grog," Don said snapping his fingers.

"Grog?" Arthur asked frowning. Suddenly a huge human grabbed Arthur from behind. The man stood almost seven feet tall, and had muscular arms as thick as tree stumps.

Griff snarled and lunged at Grog. He slammed into the mammoth, and knocked the wind out of him. The goon released Arthur and turned his attention to the gargoyle.

Don and Cliff bolted from the room.

"I hope that Rose and Chet had better luck with the shopping list than we did," Don said.

"Don't count on it shmucko!" a voice crowed. "I think they're currently _occupado._"

Cliff and Don stopped as a bi-pedal cougar with bat wings was blocking their path.

"What the hell?" Cliff snapped. "Where are all these monsters coming from?"

Cliff turned and shot down a side hallway, Don remained and glared at the creature with is one eye.

"Hey where'd your pal go?" the mutate asked smiling. "The party's just getting started."

"I don't know what you are," Don said. "But you're in my way, so move or die."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A petite brunette woman sliced through the display case with her glass cutter. She smiled wickedly as she pulled a gold and silver necklace from the case.

"Well, well," a woman's Scottish brogue said. "Rose Jackson and Chester Roberts."

She looked up to see a blond woman dressed in black step out of the shadows. She wore a distinctive mask with three red slashes across the eyes.

"The Order of the Black Scorpion," she said coolly. "Professional thieves who work for hire. If the price is right, they'll steal anything. The order is infamous for leaving behind live scorpions as calling cards. There were three fatalities."

"Well," Rose replied in her own Irish accent. "We seem to be at a disadvantage. You know who we are, but I don't know who you are."

"You can call me Hunter," she replied. "And tonight my prey is you."

"Chet," Rose said looking at her companion. A five foot nothing shrimp of a man with greasy blond hair stepped forward. He held an enormous wooden mallet, and grinned wickedly.

Hunter smiled as Chet charged her, he hadn't made it more then three feet when a grey and black blur slammed into him and knocked him aside. Rose scowled and pulled out her own weapon of choice: a thorn covered whip.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What's a matter, pal," the mutate crowed. "You don't want to play with Fang?"

He fired a volt of bio-electricity at Don, who did a back flip to avoid the blast. He landed nimbly on his feet, pulled out a pair of revolvers and calmly aimed them at Fang.

"Uh-oh!" Fang yelped and he began firing at the mutate.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell is going on here?" Cliff gasped as he turned a corner and tumbled into the room with the Venus di Milo. "What's with the monsters?"

"You know," Griff said. "We don't like being called monsters."

Cliff recoiled as he realized the griffin-goyle had followed him. He looked around and realizing that he had no way out pulled out a pair of knifes and flipped them around several times at a rapid speed, catching them by the handles every time.

Griff rolled his eyes, pulled out the lightning gun he had acquired from Macbeth and fired it Cliff. Electricity surrounded Cliff and he collapsed to the ground.

"Glad Lunette made me watch that Indiana Jones movie the other night," Griff chuckled to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Grog was surprisingly fast for such a large guy. Arthur lunged with Excalibur, and Grog narrowly avoided getting decapitated. Then Grog charged Arthur and slammed into him. It was similar to getting hit by a rhinoceros, and Arthur had a similar reaction, and went sprawling across the room.

Grog grunted happily. He was enjoying this. He lowered his head and charged Arthur again. But before he got half-way across the room, a thick silver rod shot across his path, Grog's head hid the rod hard. He stumbled back dazed.

"If Fang were here," a thick Aussie accent bragged. "He'd make a joke about walking into a bar."

The silver bar melted into a liquid and shot back into the armor of the man who'd spoken.

"You look like you could use some help mate," he said helping Arthur to his feet. "Name's Dingo."

"My thanks," Arthur said. "Let us now dispose of this cur."

"Sure thing mate," Dingo replied.

"There is a strange energy reading coming from the man with the sword," the armor said. "I believe it emanates from the sword itself…our opponent will charge again in approximately 7.8 seconds. I believe I can incapacitate him."

"Did your armor just speak?" Arthur inquired looking at his new companion curiously.

Two silvery tendrils shot forth from Dingo's chest and wrapped around Grog. The metal 'ropes' thickened and warped until they bound Grog from neck to toe. The tied-up goon fell over and hit the ground.

Arthur cocked his head in wonder.

"What manner of magic is this?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Your Majesty," Griff said as he entered the Mona Lisa room and deposited the unconscious Cliff atop Grog's restrained body. "Are all right? I wasn't sure about leaving you with that brute."

"I was fine Sir Griff," Arthur said. "But I'm glad for your concern. Griff, this is Dingo and Matrix. They defeated the ruffian."

Griff turned to see a mustached Australian. Standing next to him was a silver being that appeared to be made of liquid metal.

"Are you a gargoyle mate?" Dingo said looking surprised. "Didn't know they made them with feathered wings…love the Mohawk though."

At that moment Yama entered the room with Chet slung over his shoulder. One of his katanas was in his right talon. When he saw Griff, he stepped back in surprise.

"Griff," He said as he dropped Chet on top of Cliff.

"When said I hoped to meet you again soon, I had not expected it to be this soon," Yama said calmly.

"Ah," Arthur said. "So this is the gargoyle you met at the cathedral."

"You know this guy?" Dingo said looking surprised.

"We met last night," Yama said sheathing his katana. "Just before dawn."

"And you didn't think to share with us the fact that there was another _bloody_ gargoyle in Paris?"

"It was not pertinent to our mission tonight, or relevant to any Redemption Squad activities," Yama said.

"I would have to disagree," Matrix said. "His very presence here at the mission indicates that it was pertinent information."

Yama looked as though he was about to say something when Hunter entered the room.

In that second three things happened almost simultaneously.

Griff, upon seeing her, whipped out his lightning gun and aimed it at her face.

"The Hunter!" he snarled.

Half a second later one of Yama's katanas was pressed against Griff's neck, and Matrix had transformed one of his arms into a large S.C.A.R.A.B company bazooka-class particle blaster and had leveled it at Griff's head.

Hunter's eyes were wide with surprise at seeing Griff. Her jaw was slightly opened, and she was completely silent.

"Griff!" Arthur said looking at his knight with astonishment. "Why would you raise your weapon against a lady?"

"With all due respect you're Majesty," Griff said. "But that is _no_ lady. That is the _Hunter_. I cannot let her live…the clan's safety is at stake."

"My blade is at your throat Griff," Yama said coldly. "Lower your weapon."

"I cannot believe you would defend her," Griff said glaring at his new friend. His eyes flickered as he spoke. "Do you know how many gargoyles have died because of her family? Do you know the amount of blood that stains her hands? The Hunters have wiped out over half the clans in Europe and Africa…they killed the last clan in Wales…"

"Matrix, Yama," Hunter said softly. "Lower your weapons."

Matrix did as he was told. Yama looked at Hunter in horror. His blade never moved from its spot against Griff's neck.

"He will kill you," Yama said.

"Then so be it," she said. "Your friend is right. My family _is_ responsible for all those gargoyle deaths…indeed; we probably slew more clans he doesn't know about. Those deaths are on my head…there is no doubt that it would be justified. Let the gargoyles take their vengeance. It is only right and fair."

"Sheila," Dingo said looking slightly panicked. "Have you bloody lost it?"

Griff blinked in surprise. He didn't lower his lightning gun, but it wavered.

"You'd…actually let me…shoot you?" he said frowning.

"It's what I deserve," she said walking up to Yama. She gingerly placed her hand on Yama's sword arm, slowly lowering his blade from Griff's neck. "But for what it's worth…yuir clan was—and is—in no danger from me. The mantle of the Hunter will not be used to slay another innocent gargoyle."

Griff lowered his gun. "How can trust you?"

"You can't," she said. "I am the Hunter after all. You have only my word, but nevertheless, I will not harm you, or your clan. And if you should decide to enact the vengeance that the gargoyle race justly deserves, my team will not stop you."

"Griff," Yama said. "You never asked me why I was not living with my clan in Japan. I am disgraced…banished. I, and the others here, seek redemption for past sins...Hunter…the Hunter…no longer seeks the death of gargoyles. She has changed."

"Yes," Griff said looking at her cautiously. "I am beginning to see that."

She said nothing, and gave Griff no response.

"Redemption," Arthur said stepping forward. "Is a very noble goal."

"If she is sincere," Griff said. He hesitated, and then held out his hand. "I am a knight of the round table after all…I should give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm called Griff."

She tentatively took his talon and shook it.

"My name is Robyn," she said.

"Well that was tense," Dingo said. "Can I breathe again?"

"You are breathing now Dingo," Matrix said. "If you had stopped, you would be unable to speak."

Suddenly Griff let out a cry. The gargoyle glanced down at his leg, where the there was a sharp shooting pain.

Resting on Griff's leg was a large black scorpion, and it had stung him. It pulled its tail out of Griff's leg, and then stabbed him again and again.

"The scorpion!" Hunter exclaimed. Yama slashed the arachnid off of Griff's leg, but the green gargoyle collapsed to the ground. The world faded to black around him…

_To Be Continued…_


	2. The Mission

**Journey to the East**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, or its spinoff Gargoyles: Bad Guys. That honor belongs to Disney. Characters created by Greg Weisman and distributed by SLG._

**December 18, 1938, ****Shandong ****province, China**

"What should we do Kai?" Umi said as they coasted through the sky. "We have been seeking our rookery sister for three whole nights…and we've found neither shard nor talon of her."

"I fear that there is nothing more we can do," Kai said sounding very upset. The pair of them landed atop one of the stone spires. "Bushido dictates that we should avenge our sister if she is dead…we cannot find her…we have nothing to go on…I feel so helpless…"

"It is safe to say that our search for the Chinese clan is a failure," Umi said bitterly. "We didn't even make it all the way to Xanadu…now we must return home empty handed…with no Sakura…and no knowledge of gargoyles beyond our own clan."

Kai bowed his head as he looked towards the Eastern horizon.

"I think that we can pretty much give up hope of meeting other gargoyles," Kai said sadly. "Tomorrow night we will begin making our way back to Ishimura. We shall tell Kendo of Sakura's disappearance and of our failure."

Umi nodded cheerlessly. As the dawn froze them both, tears streamed down Umi's cheeks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**March 3, 1997, Paris, France **

"I understand sir," Robyn said as she sat at her desk, looking at Director's face on her video screen. "But when his gargoyle companion was stung by the fat-tailed-scorpion that Rose released, we had little choice. We couldn't take the gargoyle to a human hospital, and he wouldn't leave his side."

The Director said something that only Robyn could hear, as she was wearing a headset.

"The gargoyle will be fine," she said. "The venom would have killed a human within minutes, but we were able to keep him alive till sunrise. His stone sleep did the rest. He and Yama should be waking up any moment."

She paused as he spoke again.

"No sir, I agree," she responded. "However he has sworn not to tell a soul about us…in fact, he wishes to help us with our next mission, out of gratitude for saving the gargoyle's life."

There was another pause.

"Yes sir," she said. "I agree, but in this case, I think we might make an exception, especially when I tell you who he claims to be…and for the record; I believe him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Griff's stone form lay on the bed in the Redemption Squad's infirmary. Arthur had fallen asleep in the chair next to the bed. Robyn entered the room with her cowl pulled back, her face revealed.

"Yuir majesty," she said gently tapping the king on the shoulder.

"I was already awake," Arthur said without moving. His eyes slowly opened and he looked at his friend and knight, still resting as stone.

"I've been given permission to allow you and Griff to join us on our next mission," she said. Cracks began to appear on the gargoyle's body. Griff awakened with a roar. He sat up blinked, and then looked around.

"Are you all right?" Robyn asked.

"Groggy," Griff said looking around. "Where am I…what happened?"

"One of those thieves released a scorpion when she was captured," Arthur said.

"It's one of their trademarks," Robyn said. "Two museum curators and a little girl died. It's why we were sent to capture them."

"You were stung and lady Canmore brought you here to her facilities. They kept you alive till dawn." Arthur said.

"I suppose…that I am in your debt," Griff said tentatively. "By Jove, my life was saved by the Hunter. Old Pog will never believe it…and Leo will never let me hear the end of it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Our mission," Robyn said bringing up a picture of a man in his early thirties. She had pulled her cowl over her face again, leaving Griff feeling very unsettled. "Ambassador Theodore Gates."

"He looks familiar," Griff commented furrowing his brow.

"I'm not surprised," Hunter said nodding. "He's the US ambassador to Great Britain."

"Yes," Griff said suddenly brightening. "I knew I'd seen him before…but not at the Yank embassy…he doesn't live all that far from Knight's…from where my clan lives."

"Yes," Arthur said nodding. "I believe I have seen him as well…only in passing."

"He and his wife were planning to adopt a little girl from China," Robyn explained.

"Isn't that sweet?" Fang interjected. Yama let out a low growl, which the mutate ignored. "A little bundle of joy. We should send them some cigars!"

"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you mate," Dingo said frowning at Fang. "I can't help but notice, we all caught our dark scorpion burglars, but yours got away. You're kinda on thin ice."

"Indeed," Matrix said turning its 'head' in Fang's direction. "Even King Arthur and Sir Griff succeeded in aiding us in our objective. You alone failed to achieve Law and Order."

"Hey! He pulled a gun on me!" Fang yelped defensively.

"Oh right," Dingo said rolling his eyes. "Like that's never happened before."

"Children, please," Robyn said sighing.

Griff and Arthur exchanged a look and smiled.

"The mission, milady," Arthur said bowing his head politely towards her.

"Thank you, yuir majesty," she said smiling. "It is refreshing to have a gentleman around."

Yama closed his eyes and smiled to himself, as Dingo scowled.

"Hey!" Fang said. "I can be gentle if I want to…just don't want to."

"The mission, Hunter?" Matrix said.

"Indeed," Robyn said. "Ambassador Gates and his wife traveled to China to get their little girl…and disappeared three days ago somewhere in Shandong Province."

"Are missing persons really our problem?" Fang asked.

"Normally no," Hunter said. "We would usually leave it to local authorities, but this is different, not just because the ambassador is a high-profile person. This is not the first disappearance in that part of Shandong Province. Locals tell stories of people who have disappeared. These stories date back centuries."

"Not just humans," Yama interpolated. "I didn't think about it until just now, but the year I hatched a party of three gargoyles—including my clan's current leader—traveled to China upon hearing rumors of a gargoyle clan, they didn't get past that area of Shandong Province. One of the party simply vanished. They searched for her for three nights. Upon finding no clue as to her whereabouts…they gave up and returned home. A wind ceremony was held, even though there was no body."

There was an ominous silence in the room.

"You gargoyles are tough customers," Dingo said. "I should know, I've fought enough gargs to have firsthand experience. What could be tough enough to make one of you blokes disappear without a trace?"

"That is what the clan wondered at the time as well," Yama said.

"It would seem that we are going to find out," Matrix said. "Perhaps we may even learn the true fate of Yama's kinsman."

"We leave for China in one hour," Robyn said. "Our mission: to find the missing ambassador and his wife, and bring them home safely, as well as find the source of all of these mysterious vanishings…apparently with gargoyles among the missing."

"Lovely," Griff said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**March 5, 1997, ****Shandong ****province, China**

"Don't worry about it mate," Dingo said. "It's just jet-lag. Happens with Yama all the time. He's actually starting to get used to it."

"Still," Arthur said examining the stone form of his knight. "It disturbs me to see Sir Griff like this when the sun has already set."

"We will be landing in ten minutes," Hunter said over the intercom. "We will land just outside the village where the ambassador went missing. Dingo, King Arthur and I will enter the village and make inquiries. Fang, and Yama and Griff when they wake up, will do an aerial survey, look for anything unusual. Matrix—,"

"Yes, Hunter," Matrix said. "You wish for me to run a ground based survey, using my nanobots to search for the missing persons, or evidence as to why they disappeared."

Cracks began appearing on Yama's stone form, but not on Griff's. There was a shudder and then Yama awakened. He brushed off shards and yawned. He frowned at Griff, who was still locked in stone sleep.

"That is very unsettling," Yama said.

_Thirty Minutes later…_

"ROOOAAAAAAAR!" Griff snarled breaking free from his stone bonds…then;

"Bloody hell," Griff said steadying himself against the wall of the helicopter.

"Jet lag," Yama said smiling. "It takes its toll at first, but gargoyle bodies seem to adjust fairly rapidly. You should be fine by sunset tomorrow."

"Where's everyone else?" Griff said looking around.

"Arthur, Hunter, and Dingo are in the village asking questions," Yama said as the two gargoyles stepped out of the helicopter _Redemption II_. "Fang is flying around doing recon. Matrix is there."

Yama pointed to where a silver satellite dish on a tripod sat. Griff noticed tiny streams of silver liquid flowing from each of the legs of the tripod, forming a vast web.

There was farmland for miles around them, interrupted occasionally by stone skyscrapers hundreds of feet tall.

"Find anything?" Yama asked.

"There is a strange energy reading coming from beneath us," Matrix said. "But it is very deep…I have already probed over 100 feet down and have not found the source."

"What's that?" Griff said suddenly pointing at one of the spires. There was an eerie green glow coming from the top of the spire.

"I am uncertain," Matrix said. "It reads the same as the energy beneath us. My probe has just hit some sort of barrier. I am unable to bypass it…very strange. The barrier's depth is exactly 182 feet."

"Shall we investigate?" Griff said looking at the Japanese gargoyle. Yama nodded. He returned to the _Redemption II_ and retrieved a headset, and put it on.

"Matrix," Yama said.

The satellite melted into a platform. Griff and Yama stepped onto the platform, and Matrix began shooting into the air. When the platform was high enough for the gargoyles to glide from they took off. Matrix returned to the ground and resumed his satellite shape.

"I have informed Hunter of our course of action," Yama said tapping his headset. "The others will be joining us in a few minutes."

"Bloody lovely," Griff said, semi-sarcastically. He was working with the Hunter. The world had suddenly become a very strange place. They landed in the cave at the top of the stone tower.

The green glow began to fade. The gargoyles glanced at one another and slowly made their way to the back of the cave.

"A stairway," Yama commented.

"The glow seems to be coming from those torches," Griff said pointing towards a torch with a green flame mounted on the wall. He picked the torch and the pair began descending the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure that they went in here Matrix?" Hunter asked the nanobots for the third time. Arthur bent down and examined a shard of stone. It looked to him like gargoyle 'skin', and it also looked very old.

"My sensors are not malfunctioning, Hunter," Matrix said. "They glided into this cave, and have not come out since. I would have detected their exit."

"Well they ain't here now," Fang said looking around

"Well then where'd they go?" Dingo said.

"That is a very good question," Arthur said crumbling the shard of stone skin in his hand. "Here's another: how do we get them back?"

_To be continued…_


	3. Terracotta Trouble

**Journey to the East**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, or its spinoff Gargoyles: Bad Guys. That honor belongs to Disney. Characters created by Greg Weisman and distributed by SLG._

**March 5, 1997, ****Shandong ****province, China**

Griff and Yama slowly descended the dark stairway in silence, the green light from their torches casting an eerie glow on the walls. The stairway seemed to take them down in a spiraling pattern, and the gargoyles felt as though they were walking in circles.

"Strange," Griff said pausing and gingerly placing a talon on the wall. "These walls are peculiarly smooth, not at all eroded. It's as though this stairway was created recently."

"Yes," Yama said pausing. "And I detect the scent of freshly moved earth."

"So you smell it too," Griff said. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

"Apt question," Yama replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"According to the tracking device in Yama's headset," Matrix said. "Yama is descending the stone pillar at a steady pace."

"Why can we not reach him via the radio device?" King Arthur asked.

"Radio does not penetrate rock," Matrix answered.

"No," Dingo said. "But you do! Can you get us to him?"

"Perhaps," Matrix said sounding very uncertain. "But there is a strange energy reading coming from the surrounding area. It mostly emanates from beneath the surface of this valley, but since our arrival it has been fluctuating. It has penetrated the stone pillar we are standing it now. The rock itself is saturated with the energy."

Arthur frowned and glanced down at the ground. In a heartbeat he drew Excalibur and plunged the blade into the earth. The stone around them pulsed blue and the pillar rumbled.

"What the hell was that?" Fang exclaimed.

"Another energy fluctuation," Matrix responded.

"Sorcery," Arthur said softly.

"Shit," Robyn cursed. "Are you certain?"

Arthur nodded quietly.

"Whoa! Wait, hold on a second! Back up the truck folks," Fang said. "You mean like—magic? Real life hocus pocus stuff?"

"I'm afraid so," Robyn said sighing. "Our enemy is one of a supernatural sort. This complicates things."

"Not that much sheila," Dingo said. "I've been to the Dreamtime. I think I can handle a little voodoo whammy. Matrix too, come to that. And I'd be very surprised if King-bloody-Arthur didn't have just a little experience with magic."

"Just a little," Arthur replied smiling slightly.

"Ripper," Dingo said. "So let's not count us out just yet."

"Hold on!" Fang snapped. "I didn't sign up for real magic. I don't even believe in magic! What the hell do you guys think you're dragging me into?"

"If you don't believe in magic," Dingo said. "Then there's nothing to worry about is there?"

"Well…" Fang paused, looking trapped. "Okay…but the first person who points a stick at me and says 'Abra Kadabra' phffft…I'm outta here."

"Fine then," Robyn said smiling. "This still leaves us with the small problem of the rock wall between us and the gargoyles."

"A problem I believe I can rectify," Matrix said, his "arms" morphing into drills. He began boring into the rock wall at the back of the cave.

"I am uncertain as to how long this will that," Matrix said. "But it may be a while."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Griff," Yama said frowning. "Do my eyes deceive me, or is there a light up ahead?"

"No," Griff said furrowing his brow. "There's definitely a light."

The two gargoyles proceeded to the exit, the light coming from what appeared to be a cave mouth. The duo stepped out into a brightly lit bamboo forest.

"Bloody bright," Griff commenting shielding his eyes. "Do you suppose that this is what daylight looks like? It seems the same amount of daylight that I've seen on the telly."

They scanned the sky, looking to seek the source of the light, but were unable too, the mist hanging in the air was simply too thick. Above them, the dense fog created a silvery sky.

"Indeed," Yama said. "It does seem to be simulating daylight…but the fact that we are still flesh tells me that it is an illusion. A false daylight."

The pair of gargoyles stepped a few feet further into the bamboo forest. A heavy mist clung to the air around them. There was a shudder behind them, and the twosome spun around rapidly, flaring their wings as they did so.

The cave that they'd just exited from had vanished, leaving behind a sheer rock face that went straight up.

"That can't be good." Griff said.

"Yama to Hunter," Yama said tapping his headset. "Come in Hunter."

He shook his head. "I should have known the radio waves won't penetrate rock."

There was a thick gravely barking a sound coming from behind them. Griff and Yama turned once again to face the sound, this time they drew their weapons, Yama a pair of katanas, and Griff, his lightning gun.

A crimson colored gargoyle beast with a golden colored mane of hair came bounding towards them. It was extraordinarily large, even for a beast. It was almost twice the size of the Manhattan clan's beast, Bronx, whom Griff and Yama were both familiar with.

"Is that…," Griff started to ask.

"Yes," Yama said. "It is. The scent is unmistakable. But it's so large…and what is it doing down here?"

The beast began growling at them, baring its fangs. Behind him, through the bamboo forest, a large army of terracotta soldiers came marching toward them.

"Bugger!" Griff snapped. "Did that berghest just lead that army to us?"

Yama nodded grimly.

"I was afraid of that," Griff said, and the pair of gargoyles snarled and lunged forward.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hunter," Matrix said. "I am experiencing difficulties."

"What is it?" Robyn asked getting up. Dingo and Arthur remained seated, but Fang got up as well. Dingo took as swig from a hip flask, and then wiped his mouth with his arm. He offered a drink to Arthur, who simply held up his hand and shook his head.

"It looks like you haven't even started drilling," Fang said. "And we've been sitting here for half an hour."

"Indeed," Matrix replied. "That is the problem. Observe."

He took one of his drill "arms" and bore a hole almost three feet deep into the wall; he then pulled the arm back and waited. Within seconds the stone wall began behaving as if it was made of liquid…or rather a soquid, as though it were made of clay. The hole filled up and the wall remolded itself to the same appearance it had before Matrix had begun digging.

"I see," Robyn said scowling. "This could be a problem."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What are these bloody things?" Griff said digging a talon into a terracotta soldier. The clay warrior crumbled before the gargoyle's strength. Griff pointed his lightning gun towards another warrior and blasted it apart.

"They are terracotta soldiers," Yama said frowning. "Clay figures carved to the form of soldiers. They were meant to guard a Chinese Emperor in the afterlife, although…I've never seen one before. I've never battled one either."

"And now you get to battle an army of the buggers," Griff said. "Lucky you."

He fired another blast at a terracotta soldier, and then placed his lightning gun in his belt.

"They just keep coming," Griff said while using both talons to heft one soldier over his head and throw it at another. Both soldiers crumbled apart.

"Hai," Yama replied. "I do not think we can defeat them. Individually they are quite weak…but they have sheer numbers on their side."

"Perhaps we can—," Yama started to say when the gargoyle beast leapt upon him from behind and knocking him unconscious.

"Yama!" Griff exclaimed, but his distraction cost him, for not a split second later a terracotta soldier walloped him over his head using the head of a fallen terracotta soldier. For the second time in three nights, Griff's world faded to black.

_To Be Continued…_


	4. Quong Po

**Journey to the East**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, or its spinoff Gargoyles: Bad Guys. That honor belongs to Disney. Characters created by Greg Weisman and distributed by SLG._

**March 6, 1997, ****Shandong ****province, China**

Griff groaned and rubbed his head, slowly sitting up. "Bloody hell," he groaned. He glanced around, realizing that he was trapped within what appeared to be a bamboo cage. Yama was unconscious, in a second bamboo cage next to him. The cage was large enough that Griff could stand up, and spread his wings.

The cages were in what appeared to be an ancient Chinese Imperial Throne room. A large jade throne sat on the opposite side of the room, resting directly in front of the throne was a fountain, with a golden monkey statue resting in the center of the fountain.

There was a marble pedestal not far from the bamboo cages. Five perfectly smooth, round glass spheres, roughly the size of baseballs rested in nooks atop the pedestal. Each was different color: blue, red, green, black, and brown.

Griff placed his talons on the bamboo and attempted to break the bars. He was surprised to find that he could not; furthermore, his sharp talons would not even pierce the bars.

Griff's tail reached through the bars and nudged Yama. The Japanese gargoyle groaned and stirred slightly.

"Yama, mate," Griff said looking around the room and nudging his friend again with his tail. "Yama, wake up."

Yama's eyes suddenly snapped open and he was on his feet in a heartbeat.

"Where are we?" Yama asked taking in the scene.

"Not sure," Griff said. "Looks something like a throne room…or something of that sort."

"They appear to be dormant now," Yama said, pointing to two terracotta soldiers that rested on either side of the exit to the throne room.

Griff nodded. "Don't think they'll stay that way."

"I have been disarmed," Yama said examining his person. "They have taken my katanas, my shuriken…all of my weapons."

"They didn't take mine," Griff said grinning and holding up his lightning gun.

"Which means they probably didn't realize what it was," Yama said as Griff leveled his weapon at the bars. Yama held up his hand. "Wait, Griff."

"What?" Griff said looking annoyed.

"Once you use the gun, they will know it is a weapon," Yama replied. "This may be our only chance to gather information. I would be very surprised if our captor did not arrive to see us soon."

"Fair enough," Griff said sliding his gun into his leather shirt. He smirked and leaned against the back of his cage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I have assimilated a number of earthmoving technologies," Matrix said. "Though, I am uncertain if any will be effective."

Dingo, Matrix, Robyn, King Arthur, and Fang all stood outside the _Redemption II_, standing in a loose semicircle.

"You don't think you can get us down there?" Dingo asked.

"I can get us to the barrier easily," Matrix said. "But I cannot penetrate it. No technology I currently possess will."

"Perhaps…," Arthur wondered, his hands rested on Excalibur. "Excalibur was able to disrupt some of the sorcery within the tower…maybe my blade can upset this barrier as well."

Matrix's 'head' shifted and turned towards Arthur. "Perhaps," it said. "But, based on the fluctuation within the cave, I calculate that the blade will only be able to disrupt the barrier for 2.8 seconds."

"It'll have to be enough," Robyn said coolly. "Just get us down there Matrix."

"Yes, Hunter," Matrix said. The silver blob of nanobots expanded and reformed, morphing into an enormous cylindrical tank. A large drill marked the front of the tank. Matrix began drilling into the ground. When the tank was halfway submerged in earth, a 'door' formed and opened.

"All aboard!!!" Fang said as he, Dingo, Arthur, and Hunter piled into Matrix's 'cab'.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you hear someone chanting?" Griff asked suddenly.

Yama had crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and cloaked his wings. He had remained silent up till this point.

"Yes," Yama said. "I believe it is Chinese…an ancient form of the dialect. I cannot translate."

"I think our captor is here," Griff said. Yama opened his eyes and climbed to his feet.

"Greetings gargoyles," a small Chinese man said stepping into the room. He had oily black hair and was clean shaven. He wore blue and golden robes embossed with dragons. The large gargoyle beast that had attacked them earlier entered behind him.

"You speak Japanese?" Yama said looking surprised.

"What?" Griff said frowning. "He's speaking English."

"I am speaking neither," he said grinning. "I just cast a spell so that you would hear me in your native tongues. It worked."

Griff and Yama exchanged a glance.

"Why have you brought us here?" Griff asked.

He smiled but did not answer their question. "Yes…excellent. Such prime specimens. Wouldn't you agree Fu-Lion?"

The gargoyle beast licked its lips. Its eyes had a soft red glow, almost invisible on its imperial red skin. Its mane was a golden, and there were tufts of gold fur on all four legs, as well as the end of its tail.

"He agrees," the man said grinning.

Griff and Yama exchange another glance, this time one of utter surprise.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he continued. "I am Quong Po, and I was once a royal sorcerer in the court of the Jade Emperor."

"Really?" Griff said. "Interesting. He was the first ruler of China, according to legend, and the son of a dragon. Una believes that he was a member of the Third Race."

"I am surprised that I foreigner would know so much about Chinese history," Quong said, genuinely surprised and impressed.

"My clan owns a magic shop," Griff said. "There's not much about magic we don't know. We've even got some of the Jade Emperor's things…if the stories behind them are true."

"A clan of sorcerers," Quong replied.

"Well, no," Griff admitted. "Only a few of them are actual practitioners. But two of my rookery mums, Cam and Unette…well they wanted to make sure we were prepared for anything."

"Wise," Quong said. "As I was saying. I was a sorcerer in the court of the Jade Emperor, but I was banished for using dark chi magic. So I vowed to make a kingdom that rivaled that of the Jade Emperor's."

He smiled. "Many years before I was banished, the Jade lord created a giant map of his kingdom beneath the surface of the Middle Kingdom. It was smaller scale…but it was a perfect replica. When I was banished, I fled here…to the underground replica…and began building my own kingdom. It has taken me millennia, but I am almost done."

"I have farmers, and various other peasants," Quong said waving his hand dismissively. "I have an army."

With this he walked to the pedestal and picked up the brown sphere. It began glowing softly. The two terracotta warriors at the doorway sprung to life, and then exited the room.

"There is only one thing that the Jade Emperor's China has that mine does not," Quong said leering at the pair.

"Gargoyles," Griff guessed.

"Indeed," Quong said. "The Xanadu Clan's home was long ago placed under a magical protection. I doubt even they remember…but they are protected from my magic, and I cannot set foot on their territory, so for countless millennia my kingdom has done without…"

"What about the beast?" Yama asked looking at Fu-Lion.

"Occasionally Fu-dogs wander beyond the borders," Quong said. "As did Fu-Lion here. When that happens I snatch them up. I gave him his name because he's so large. He was more than a Fu-dog…he was a Fu-Lion."

"You know little of our kind, don't you?" Yama said.

Quong looked annoyed. "What do you mean?"

"That's a female," Griff said pointing at Fu-Lion. "She may look like a male lion, but the resemblance is, I assure you, purely superficial. You can tell because her eyes have a red glow to them, as opposed to the white glow found in males."

Quong scowled at the two gargoyles, but did not say anything else.

At that moment the terracotta warriors returned, carrying between them another bamboo cage. Within the cage was a statue of a Japanese female gargoyle.

"Sixty years ago," Quong said. "The opportunity came to me, to finally add some gargoyles to my kingdom. Three gargoyles flew into my territory. It was my intention to collect them one at a time, but the opportunity to acquire the other two slipped from my grasp. I was only able to get the one."

Griff and Yama glanced at one another again, and then looked at Quong, their expressions hard but curious, uncertain of where he was going with this.

"Then tonight, you two fell into my lap. At last, male gargoyles to my female, I can finally start breeding my own clan."

"What do you mean?" Yama said.

The soldiers set the cage down. Quong placed the brown orb back in its nook. As soon as he broke contact, the soldiers froze, becoming statues once more. He then picked up the blue orb. It glowed softly in his hand and the fountain began to bubble.

"I used a sleeping powder to keep her in stone sleep," Quong said. "Since I didn't know how long it would take me to find her a mate. You gargoyles do not age in your stone sleep you know."

"No," Yama whispered and glanced at the statue. "It cannot be!"

Water from the fountain suddenly burst forth and rushed over the room, splashing all over the stone gargoyle and washing her off. Cracks began forming over her body, and with a panther-like screech, Sakura burst free from her stone prison.

Griff and Yama could only stare as the Ishimuran gargess calmly brushed shards of stone skin from her body.

_To be continued…_


	5. The Cherry Blossom

**Journey to the East**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, or its spinoff Gargoyles: Bad Guys. That honor belongs to Disney. Characters created by Greg Weisman and distributed by SLG._

**March 6, 1997, ****Shandong ****province, China**

Griff and Yama stared in shock at the female gargoyle. Yama then recovered and turned to Quong, his usual scowl returned.

"This is why you brought us here?" Yama said sounding disgusted.

"Is this…?" Griff started to ask, but noticed Yama nod slightly and fell silent.

"My dear," Quong said ignoring the males. "I finally have some potential mates for you."

Sakura glanced at Griff and Yama, her eyes quietly appraising the two. Griff felt his face grow hot as Sakura's eyes lingered on him slightly longer than she had when she looked at Yama.

"Your plan has already failed," Griff said when Sakura had turned her attention back to Quong. "You can't force us to become mates."

"Oh can't I?" Quong said smiling wickedly. "As I understand it, when a female gargoyle goes into heat, her scent is irresistible to any males in the vicinity."

Griff glanced at Yama who returned the same questioning look. _How had Quong known that? He hadn't been able to distinguish a male from a female beast._

"You're partially correct," Yama said. "But mostly misinformed. Her scent is not irresistible to _any_ male, only to unmated males. This is assuming of course that the female in question is unmated as well. If she is not, then her scent—while interesting to any passing males—will specifically target only her mate."

"Interesting," Quong said smiling wickedly. "Very enlightening…and if the males are mated and the female is not?"

"The she'll smell interesting, to be sure," Griff said smirking. "But the mated male can only be drawn by his own mate's scent."

"Fascinating," Quong said. "Based on what you've said, it would mean that when two gargoyles mate, then they mark each other with their scents."

Griff and Yama shifted uncomfortably. This was not something that gargoyles usually discussed…especially with humans. But it was true…from the moment that Griff had met Yama, and from the moment Sakura awaked, they had both been aware that Yama was mated. Sora's scent lingered on him still; they even had a vague idea of what Sora looked like.

"Fu-Lion," Quong said. "Tell me which gargoyles are mated."

"You can't ask a beast to answer a specific question like…that…," Griff started to say, but the beast had trotted over to Yama's cage and had started snuffing loudly.

"Wha…what?" Griff said. Quong grinned wickedly. "Now tell me who is unmated."

She turned and trotted over Sakura and Griff's cages and began snuffling.

"How fortuitous," Quong said. "One male and one female, both unmated. When she goes into heat, you won't be able to keep your talons off of each other."

"That is still ten years away," Griff said recovering his wits once again.

"I can afford to be patient," Quong said. "After all, I waited sixty years for you."

A jade dragon statue by the fountain suddenly opened its maw and began growling. Quong glowered in annoyance.

"It seems I have some uninvited guests," Quong said. "I must take my leave of you now. I shall return shortly."

Quong gathered up the brown, black, and green orbs, and swiftly left the room.

"That bugger is creepy," Griff said staring. He turned towards Sakura and bowed politely, cloaking his wings as he did.

"I'm Griff," he said. "And this is Yama. A pleasure, milady."

"Sakura," she replied. "The Cherry Blossom. You look Ishimuran."

This last comment was directed at Yama. He nodded.

"I am, but I was but a hatchling when you, Kai, and Umi left on your quest to find the Chinese clan."

"Yama," she said, and furrowed her brow. "Yes…I remember you…you've grown quite a bit."

"Now," Griff said, pulling his lightning gun out. "If introductions are over, let's get the bloody hell out of here."

"Indeed," Yama said.

"It is not possible," Sakura said.

"Never say never dear," Griff said pointing the gun at the bamboo bars. He fired and the lightning shot into the bar he was aiming at, and it splintered apart. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We have reached the barrier," Matrix said. The metallic "floor" shifted away from them, revealing earth. Matrix formed into a massive silver dome. The ground glowed a soft blue.

"The earth surrounding us is attempting to resume its original position," Matrix said. "It is placing immense pressure on my nanobots."

"What is beyond this barrier I wonder?" Arthur said bending down.

"I am uncertain," Matrix said. "I do not even know how thick the barrier is. We may not be able to penetrate in 2.8 seconds."

"I will not abandon Griff," Arthur said. He plunged Excalibur's blade into the ground. There was a shudder, and the blue glow vanished.

The earth gave way beneath them, simply crumbled away. The Redemption Squad (Minus Yama, plus Arthur) had in fact been standing on about half an inch layer of dirt, the barrier held the dirt in place. With the barrier gone, the squad, and the earth, tumbled through, and found themselves falling hundreds of feet in bright, day lit sky.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I escaped once before," Sakura said beckoning the males down an abandoned hallway. "When he caught me, he used magic to reinforce the bamboo. He hadn't expected me to be so strong."

"I thought he kept you trapped in stone sleep for sixty years," Griff commented.

"Not all the time," Sakura said. "He woke me once a decade just to gloat. I was flesh for perhaps…three nights at a time, and then he'd put me to sleep again."

"There is still something I don't understand," Griff said looking at the red and blue orbs that he had pinched from the pedestal in the throne room.

"Can you actually use those?" Yama said frowning.

Griff shrugged. "Probably not…I didn't nick them so that I could use them. I nicked them so Quong couldn't."

"Good plan," Sakura said. The trio of gargoyles paused, there was a terracotta soldier resting in a pedestal in the wall. Sakura dug her talons into the soldier's chest and crumbled the statue apart.

"Those orbs represent the five elements of Chinese philosophy," Griff said. "Fire and Water, which we have, Earth, Wood, and Metal, which he has. He uses the Earth orb to control the terracotta army. I think without it, they'd just be worthless statues."

"Here is where he has taken our weapons," Sakura said sliding the door open. The three gargoyles stepped into the room. Yama immediately stepped over to the table and began re-arming himself.

"_Baka! Baka gaijin!_" Sakura cursed. "That idiot. My katana has rusted into its sheath!" She held up the sheath and attempted to pull it out.

"It is worthless now," she snarled angrily, her eyes flashing red for a second. "I have used this blade since I was a hatchling."

"Take one of mine," Yama said offering her one of his katanas. She nodded gratefully. "We must leave this place quickly."

"Quong Po _is_ human though," Griff wondered out loud. "Not one of the Third Race. How is it he is still alive after three thousand years?"

"How can you be sure he is not Yokai?" Yama asked Griff frowning.

"Well honestly, I can't," Griff said sighing. "I'm making an educated guess. We know that Oberon put into place a non-interference edict some time back. This is clearly a violation…Oberon doesn't stand for disobedience. Not where his edicts are concerned. The Children may bend the rules…but they can't break them."

"He is human," Sakura said. "He uses dark magic to steal the chi from human victims, when he does, he subtracts their age from his own. The victims die, and he gains another lifetime. I saw him do this shortly after I was captured."

Griff and Yama exchanged a glance.

"The ambassador!" Griff said.

"Our original mission," Yama said. "We cannot leave the palace."

"Yama's right," Griff said. "We need to find where he keeps his victims"

Sakura nodded grimly. "I understand. It is this way."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arthur, Dingo, Robyn, and Fang tumbled through the air, plummeting to the earth.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Dingo and Fang screamed at the top of their lungs. Robyn and Arthur remained quiet.

"What are you screaming for?" Dingo said looking at Fang. "You can fly!"

"Oh yeah," Fang said brightening. The mutate unfurled his wings, which had been cloaked, and began laughing. A moment later a silver disk caught Hunter, Arthur, and Dingo. Fang landed nimbly beside them.

"Nice save Matrix," Dingo said.

"Thank you, Dingo," Matrix replied. "The instant that Arthur's sword struck the barrier, I calculated that the ground would not hold, and made arrangements to catch you before the distance and velocity of your descent resulted in death. Our exit however, has been blocked."

They looked up to see that they could not see the hole they had fallen through, only a pale blue sky.

"I am in your debt, Matrix," Arthur said. "But, where are we?"

"It appears to be an artificial environment designed to simulate the world above," Matrix said. "Very poorly. The artificial sun has not moved since we arrived; only dimmed slightly. I believe that I could simulate day and night far more effectively."

"I have no doubt that you could," Arthur said. "But this begs the question…who would make this place and why?"

"And what," Robyn said. "Do they want with our gargoyles?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You, Griff-san," Sakura said. "Your accent…from where do you hail?"

"My clan's based in London," Griff said.

"Are we not at war then?" Sakura asked giving the gargoyle a stern look. Griff blinked in surprise.

"We were…that war's been over since 1945," Griff said.

"Oh," Sakura said abashedly. "Of course…it seems easy to forget that so much time has passed…for me it has only been but a few weeks since I was captured."

"That's all right," Griff said. "_Believe_ me, I know the feeling."

There was a brief pause as they turned a corner and entered a new corridor.

"We won by the way," Griff commented absently. Yama smiled because he had a fair idea of what Sakura's reaction would be...but the smile faded shortly thereafter.

"You lie!" Sakura snapped.

"I do not…why would I lie?" Griff said.

"Japan could not lose to a bunch of _gaijin!_" she hissed.

"You were winning," Griff said smiling gleefully. "Then you lot got this brilliant idea to bomb the Yanks in Hawaii. They got mad…really mad."

Griff chucked. He couldn't help but gloat, when he had jumped from 1940 to 1996, one of the first things he'd done was look up information on the outcome of the war. It was something fun that he'd been forced to keep to himself, because for the rest of the clan…it was old news. And Arthur and the Manhattan clan simply hadn't cared because they had been asleep during World War II. Even Goliath, who'd gone back in time just to save him.

"I am afraid that Griff speaks the truth, Sakura," Yama said "We did lose that war."

Sakura fell silent.

"It was...complicated...to say the least," Yama said. "I will tell you more when the _gaijin_ is not around."

"HEY!" Griff snapped. "Don't you start too!"

At this Sakura giggled, a strangely girlish thing for her to do, but her laughter fell silent as the trio of gargoyles entered the last room at the end of the hall. The gargoyles stared in horror at what they saw.

"Bloody hell," Griff whispered.

_To be continued…_


	6. Monkey Business

**Journey to the East**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, or its spinoff Gargoyles: Bad Guys. _

_Check out_

_Gargoyles: Clan-Building Volumes 1 & 2. _

_Also check out Gargoyles: Bad Guys—Redemption. _

_On sale now._

**March 6, 1997, ****Shandong ****province, China**

"These people do not know freedom," Arthur said frowning as they followed a dirt road that twisted and turned among rice fields. "Oppression hangs above this land like a cloud of flies."

The farmers were hard at work in the rice fields, they looked up at the strange crew as they passed, and Fang and Matrix earned some long strange stares, but they never once stopped picking rice.

"Aye," Robyn affirmed. "I wonder…are these the people who've been vanishing all these years?"

"More likely their descendants," Arthur said grimly. "For they lack hope of any kind…that kind of conditioning can only be created after generations of subjugation."

"This is sick…" Dingo said.

"In case you hadn't noticed," Fang said rolling his eyes. "It's not much better topside."

"Perhaps not," Arthur said. "Above us, farmers work, earn their living, feed their children. And at first glance, they do the same here…but there is an air of desperation not found on the surface—and look closely…there are no men, only women. That is one of only a hundred things indicating that something is seriously wrong here."

"He's right," Dingo said. "Look at them…they're starving. And I've yet to see a single man among them."

"Hunter," Matrix said. "There is a potent energy reading north of us…I am just picking it up. It may be a power source."

"Power source?" Fang said frowning. "I thought that it was hocus-pocus that was making this place go."

"Sorcery can do many amazing things—things that might be impossible otherwise," Arthur said. "But it is still subject to the laws of God and Nature. It still needs a source, like a river."

"Energy is Energy," Robyn said. "It might be magical energy running this place…but it still has to come from somewhere."

"Then what say we blow the power plant?" Dingo said grinning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's the ambassador all right," Griff said bending down by the bamboo cage. Yama placed two talons on his neck, checking for a pulse. "I recognize his scent…barely."

"He lives," Yama said. "But the pulse is faint."

"It looks as though he's aged thirty years," Griff said. He placed his talons on the bars, and then splintered them apart.

"That is Quong's magic," Sakura said scowling. "We are lucky he is not dead, like the others."

She gestured towards the other bamboo cages lining the room. Each contained mummies in various states of decay.

"He must have acquired this victim recently," Sakura said. "Or he would have finished him already."

"Where's his family?" Griff said picking the white-haired ambassador up. "His wife and their daughter?"

"Women would not be brought here to the palace," Sakura said. "Quong only uses his power to feed on men. They would be put to work on the farms within Quong's empire. This is why there are few, if any men. When they reach the age of 25, Quong harvests them."

"Let us leave this place," Yama said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"There," Matrix said as they approached a massive mountain. Its summit could not be seen, as the cap reached up past simulated clouds. On ground level, there was a small window in the rocks, blocked by three iron bars.

The squad approached the window and looked in. An elderly looking man sat upon a rock in the center of a small room, built very much like a prison cell. He was old, but richly dressed and clean shaven.

Upon seeing his visitors, he stood up and said something in ancient Chinese, a moment later he spoke again—in English. "Help me, please."

"We need bust this poor guy out," Dingo said reaching for his belt.

"Hold, Sir Dingo," Arthur said holding up his left hand, but he placed his right hand on Excalibur. "These bars are made from iron…and look at his feet."

Dingo glanced down. The elderly man wore no shoes, and his feet—such as they were—looked exactly like hands. A closer inspection revealed that the man had a long golden tail that wrapped around the rock he rested on.

"What the hell?" Dingo said taken aback.

"Preliminary analysis indicates…that this 'man'." Matrix said, sounding almost confused. "Is made almost entirely out of energy."

"This is one of Oberon's Children," Arthur said.

"Oberon?" the man piped up. "Queen Mab's son?"

"Mab has not ruled the Third Race in some time shape-changer," Arthur said.

"Yes, well," he replied. "I _have_ been down here for some time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wait," Griff said placing his talon on Yama's shoulder. The three gargoyles had climbed to the roof of Quong's palace. Yama now held the ambassador, and they had unfurled their wings in preparation for gliding.

"Do either of you know what time it is?" Griff asked. Yama frowned.

"No," Sakura said. "Why should that matter?"

"None of us awakened at sunset," Griff said. "Yama and I were delayed by jetlag, and you were awakened when Quong washed the sleep powder off your stone form. With that false sun in the sky further confusing our internal clocks…we can't risk gliding…we have no idea when the sun will rise."

"You are right," Yama said looking out towards the courtyard. "We will have to travel on foot."

"I think we can risk the short glide beyond the palace walls," Griff said. "But no more…I've had day-mares about turning to stone in midair. Happened to one of my rookery sisters right in front of me when I was younger."

"Let us not tarry then," Sakura said. Griff took the ambassador's unconscious form in his arms again, and the trio took a swift low glide off the roof, and out beyond the palace grounds.

_Twenty minutes and several miles later…_

"This bamboo forest is thicker than the one we were in when we were captured," Yama said. "And the mist is quite thick…it may provide good cover for us throughout the day."

"He's starting to wake up," Griff said.

The ambassador groaned as Griff set him down gently. His eyes flickered open and he looked around in surprise.

"Don't you worry mate," Griff said. "We're the good guys."

"Y—you're one of the Soho griffins aren't you?" he said looking at the green gargoyle.

Yama looked at Griff smirking. "'Soho griffins'?"

Griff flushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well…the clan hasn't been keeping as low a profile lately as we used too…"

"You're kind of a worst kept secret around London," the ambassador said. "We all know about you…we just don't say anything…because the crime rate has dropped so much…especially in Soho…which used to be riddled with crime."

He sat up and looked at Yama and Sakura in surprise. He looked at them nervously.

"Don't worry," Griff said reassuringly. "They're with me."

"They look like those…gargoyle things…from New York," ambassador Gates said.

"Yes well," Griff said. "They may look scary, but trust me, those Manhattan chaps are all right. They're just like us."

"Wait!" Gates said looking shocked. "The Soho griffins…and the Manhattan gargoyles…are the same creatures."

"Griffins, gargoyles, _tengu_, nagas," Yama said. "The legends about our kind are everywhere, if you look for them. We have been written off as mere myth, but we are all of the same blood."

"Where is my wife…and my daughter?" Gates said, as if realizing for the first time that they were not with him.

Griff frowned. "We don't know…but I promise you…we _will_ find them."

"I believe you," Gates said. He attempted to stand and stumbled over to a nearby rock and said down.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And the emperor committed suicide!" Sakura said absolutely horrified. Ambassador Gates had fallen asleep again.

"After the bombs…what else could he do?" Yama said.

"I-I'm sorry for what I said earlier," Griff said abashedly. "I wasn't really thinking."

"I understand, Griff," Yama said. "There is no shame in being patriotic…your words were ill chosen and insensitive…but I understand."

"It must have been hard for your clan," Griff said.

"It was difficult," Yama said. "But Ishimura has always been self-sufficient. Food was harder to come by, but we managed. Frankly though…we were more afraid that the Americans would invade, and find out about us. We feared being shattered…or worse."

"Put on display in some kind of zoo?" Griff suggested. "I sympathize. I really am sorry for my tactless words earlier."

Yama shifted uncomfortably at Griff's mention of a gargoyle zoo.

"There is something I've been meaning to ask you," Yama said changing the subject. "You said that some of Goliath's clan stayed with your clan."

"Yes," Griff said. "Hudson, Lexington, Coldstone, and Coldfire stayed with us through November and December. Bloody lovely lot."

"Yes," Yama said. "What do you know of a gargoyle name Thailog? He claimed to be Goliath's rookery son…"

Griff sighed. "Well, he lied to you."

"I had no doubt of that," Yama said smiling.

"He…it's really complicated," Griff said. "Lexington said there was this chap…a Doctor Anton Sevarius."

"Met him," Yama said scowling.

"Ah…you have? Really? Okay then, that makes this a little easier…Thailog is Goliath's clone…and he's not really…he doesn't act like a regular gargoyle."

"This is all still so amazing to me," Sakura said. "I left Ishimura to find a clan of gargoyles in China…and it turns out that there are clans in America and England."

"And Guatemala too," Griff said. "But, Goliath's clan didn't exist in 1940 or 1938…they only awakened in '94. It's a bit of a long story…and I think that we're almost out of time. I'm starting to feel quite fatigued."

"I must undress before dawn," Yama said turning towards Griff and Sakura. "I have never considered my _Redemption Squad _uniform to be my own."

"So the Humility Spell doesn't affect it," Griff supplied. "I understand. We'll keep an eye on things here."

Griff and Sakura sat quietly in awkward silence for a few long moments.

"So…anyone back in Ishimura your mate?"

"No," Sakura said. "No mates…several males tried to court me…but well, I imagine they've all found mates by now."

Griff sighed. "You have no idea how much I can relate."

Suddenly, the sound of gravely barking came from the bamboo forest not far from them.

"Fu-Lion!" Griff and Sakura said in unison. The gargoyles took several giant leaps in the direction of the barks.

The red and gold beast came bounding out of the trees. She bared her fangs and growled at Sakura and Griff. Griff reached up for his lightning gun, but before his talon grasped it, Fu-Lion turned grey and hardened to stone.

Griff had two whole seconds to look surprised before he too hardened to stone. Sakura turned two seconds after he had.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oberon's Children?" Dingo asked looking at Arthur sharply.

"Gargoyles are the First Race," Arthur said. "And humans are the Second. The Third Race is the fairies, the shape shifters, elves and false gods. They are powerful beings made of pure magic. Many would have you believe that they are older, and that they created man…but were here before they were."

"I've heard the stories," Robyn said. "I didn't know if they were true…I knew gargoyles existed, and magic, so I knew it was possible."

"And there's no way we can release this Child of Oberon unless we know who he is," Arthur said. "He's from the time when Mab ruled their kind…and she was mad."

"Was…Merlin one of these…'Children'?" Dingo asked, trying to wrap his head around this.

"Yes and no," Arthur said. "Merlin was Oberon's son…but he is not considered one of the Third Race, nor does he consider himself one. But the Lady of the Lake and the Green Knight were and are members of their kind."

"So…what about this guy?" Fang said. "How do we know if he's trustworthy?"

"The Children often interfered in mortal affairs," Arthur said. "Particularly in the old days, before Oberon forbid them from doing so. They would leave a mark on folklore and legend…a simple way to determine if this is a trustworthy Oberati is to ask him his name."

"What if he lies to us?" Fang said.

"He cannot," Arthur said. "The Oberati cannot lie…they may deceive and manipulate, but they cannot directly lie. Unfortunately, I don't know anything of the legends of this land…"

"I know a little," Robyn said. "Let's ask him."

"There is no need to ask lady," the Child said. "I have heard your conversation, and know your concerns."

"So," Arthur said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Sun-Wukong," he said. "I am the Monkey King."

_To be continued…_


	7. Shards

**Journey to the East**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, or its spinoff Gargoyles: Bad Guys. _

_Check out_

_Gargoyles: Clan-Building Volumes 1 & 2. _

_Also check out Gargoyles: Bad Guys—Redemption. _

_On sale now._

**March 6, 1997, ****Shandong ****province, China**

"The Monkey King is a Chinese folk-hero," Robyn said.

The Squad stood in a circle, over 100 yards away from where Sun Wu-Kong was imprisoned.

"Then…we should cut him loose?" Fang asked.

Robyn shook her head. "He was also a notorious Trickster. And a prankster. Legend says that he entered the Jade Emperor's court unbidden and demanded a title. So the Emperor—,"

"He gave me the title _Pi-Na-Wen,_" Sun called out. "'He who smells horses dung' I demanded a better title."

"Made him the caretaker of the gardens of the Sacred Peach Trees," Robyn continued, clearly annoyed that the monkey had interrupted him.

"Matrix?"

"Everyone hop please," Matrix said as he surrounded them in a soundproof bubble.

"Tricksters are at the same time the most and least trustworthy of the Oberati," Arthur said. "I say we should probably leave him be."

"But…you said he was a hero too," Dingo commented.

"Yes…," Robyn said hesitantly. "The Monkey wasn't supposed to eat the peaches…just guard them…but…"

"_Quis Custoeius Custodiadat?_" Arthur said.

"Then he crashed a banquet that was meant to be attended only by high ranking officials. He drank the Emperor's Jade Juice which made him immortal…they punished him by locking him under a mountain."

"Where he remains," Fang said shrugging. "Ole King Cole here is right then…we should leave him where he is."

"That's what confuses me," Hunter said. "He shouldn't still be here. In _Journey to the West_ a book written about the Monkey King's legend, Monkey was eventually released by the Bodhisattva, to travel on a journey to redeem himself."

There was a pregnant silence.

"We should let him go," Dingo said.

"Yeah," Fang said quietly.

"I concur…but I think it's Arthur's decision. He knows more about the Third Race than any of us," Hunter said.

"I do not presume--," Arthur started to say, he paused and thought better of it. "All things are true, but few things are accurate. It may be that the story of the Monkey's redemption was just that: a story. But…I think a leap of faith—,"

"I apologize for interrupting," Matrix said. "But there appears to be an army of animated stone figures that are surrounding my sphere. In addition to which, the 'sun' has dimmed to a glow equivalent to the full moon's glow and artificial stars now light up the sky. Ironically however…the sun has risen in the world above…meaning that Yama and Sir Griff may now be incapacitated."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ambassador Gates awakened abruptly. He groaned and struggled to his feet. Looking around he frowned. He looked around for his new friends. He glanced around the rock outcropping. He could see Yama's silhouette in the moonlight.

"Oh…uh, Yama right?" the ambassador asked. He frowned, and began making his way towards the gargoyle, using the rocks as a brace. As he drew near the gargoyle he gasped. Yama was stone. His clothes and weapons lay in a neat pile on the rocks, he wasn't nude however, as there was a solid stone wrap around his loin.

Gates looked horrified and tapped on Yama's face. The gargoyle showed no reaction. Glancing down he spied a four foot long bamboo shaft on the ground. Using it as a cane he staggered away from the stone gargoyle.

"Griff, Sakura?" he yelled. "Something's happened to Yama! Where are you? I think that that Quong—"

The ambassador had stumbled into the clearing where Griff, Sakura, and Fu-Lion had turned to stone. He stared in horror and staggered up to Griff. His clothes, even his Lightning Gun had turned to stone alongside him. Sakura's clothes had turned to stone as well, but not her sword.

"What in God's name has happened here?" Gates said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The terracotta soldiers surrounded the giant silver orb. Quong smirked as he approached the orb.

"These interlopers will not survive," he chuckled. The sphere began to warp and shrink. Bursts of lightning shot out and blasted the first row of soldiers. Quong leapt back in surprise.

Fang emerged from the sphere first, firing a gun with one hand and shooting lightning with the other. Hunter and Arthur lunged out a moment later, Robyn firing rapidly as the Once and Future King sliced through three warriors with his blade. The shrinking writhing sphere warped itself into Dingo's armor, and he too lunged forward. His left hand warped into a spade shape and shattered through a dozen soldiers.

"Another gargoyle!" Quong said eying Fang eagerly.

"I ain't no gargoyle shmucko," Fang crowed. "I'm a mutate bub!"

"Pity," Quong said taking out the black orb. "Then you are useless to me."

He waved his hand over the sphere, which began to glow. At the same time Fang and Robyn's guns began to glow as well.

"What?" Hunter gasped as her gun jammed.

"Hunter, Fang, Arthur, look out mates," Dingo cried as he lunged at Robyn with his spade hand. She narrowly dodged him. An eerie black glow was emanating from Matrix.

"I can't seem to control Matrix…" Dingo said.

"The orb," Arthur said glaring at Quong. "There is the source of our troubles."

"Take him out," Hunter cried. "I can keep the Ding-bat here busy."

Arthur nodded and lunged at the Chinese wizard.

"I can still hear you, Hunter," Dingo said annoyed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gates sat, leaning against Griff's wing crying. His hope was almost completely gone. Cracks began to appear along Griff's stone form. Gates stopped crying and looked up at the gargoyle. Using his cane he struggled to his feet. Cracks appeared along Griff, Sakura, and Fu-Lion's stone forms.

The lattice of cracks spread over their bodies, and then with terrifying roars…

"HUH-ROOOAAAAR!"

The gargoyles awakened. Sakura wasted no time and leapt upon Fu-Lion's back. With swift motions of her talon's she sliced the collar off, it clattered to the ground.

"You—you're all right!" Gates exclaimed.

"Of course ambassador," Griff said brushing shards off his shoulder. He looked at Fu-Lion and drew his gun.

"It's all right Griff-san," Sakura said. "She will not attack us. The collar was made of gold, so Quong could use his orb of metal to control her. That's how he was able to instruct her to do something so specific. It wasn't her will. Free of the collar, she may aid us."

"Goliath's clan has a beast like this," Griff said petting her. Her tongue lolled out as he scratched her behind her ear. "Staghart said that they call him Fu-Dog."

"We had eleven beasts in my day," Sakura said. "I wonder how many remain."

"Nine when I left," Yama said approaching the others, having re-dressed in his _Redemption Squad_ uniform.

"We don't have any of these noble animals in my clan," Griff said. "Goliath's got two though."

"What just happened?" Gates demanded. "I thought that wizard…I thought he cursed you or something."

"We gargoyles turn to stone during the day," Griff said.

"But…you were stone at night…"

"Quong's night," Yama said. "He controls day and night here—but the imitation would not fool our internal clocks…we became stone when the sun rose on the surface. And now that we are flesh again…"

Fu-Lion sniffed the air. Her eyes began glowing brighter. Then she went bounding off.

"Beasts have a sixth sense," Sakura said. "We should follow."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Fight it Dingo," Hunter said dodging Dingo's spade-like blade.

"No really?" Dingo snapped sarcastically. "I never would have thought of that. What do you think I'm trying to do here?"

Arthur lunged at the Chinese sorcerer who nimbly dodged the attack.

"What makes you think you can defeat me in my own domain?" he said to the Once and Future King chuckling. He held up the black orb and waved his hand over it. A soft glow began emanating from the orb.

Arthur smirked. "Your sorcery will have no effect on Excalibur. She is an enchanted blade in her own right, and the enchantment nullifies yours."

Quong scowled. "Then I shall simply have to take your blade."

"I think not," Arthur said, he raised Excalibur above his head and swung it downward. Instinctively Quong raised his arm to block, and the blade struck the glass orb. It cracked, and then shattered apart.

"NOOO!!!" Quong gasped. There was a massive explosion that sent Arthur and Quong flying in opposite directions.

Dingo suddenly stopped attacking Hunter, just as she ducked down low and used her legs to trip the armored Aussie. The black glow faded away as he tumbled to the earth.

"Oof," Dingo croaked, "Ow! I'm in control again you deranged Shelia."

Quong staggered to his feet. He appeared to have aged a couple of decades as a result of the blast. A look of pure rage and loathing covered his face.

"You shall pay for that," Quong said glaring at Arthur, who lay unconscious by the Monkey King's prison. "With your _chi_."

"Release me and I can aid you!" Sun exclaimed through the bars. "Leave me incarcerated and you will surely perish."

_To Be Continued…_


End file.
